The Partial Fairytale
by sara-cupcaked
Summary: It starts with once upon a time, and ends with a happily ever after. But somewhere in the middle, things aren't so simple.


**A/N**: A short little Greg and Sara friendship piece with underlying GSR themes. I will not write anything other than GSR, so here's a compromise :) Beta-ed by GER, thank you so much! I do not own anything, I'm just borrowing them. Please enjoy, and don't forget to review if you liked it :)

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**The Partial Fairytale  
**

His Cinderella most _definitely_ did not wear a blue fluffy ball gown with a poofy skirt.

His mother had always wanted a daughter, and when she had a son instead, she improvised. When he was seven, his mother showed him another world, one filled with princesses in castles and knights in shining armor in the form of bedtime stories.

The slightly geeky little boy found the fairy-tales and their 'happily-ever-afters' slightly nauseating, but after watching Cinderella, his perception changed drastically.

The storyline was still too girly for little Greg Sanders, but Cinderella was perfect in his eyes. Blonde with big blue eyes and a beautiful blue dress, this cartoon character became his first ever crush. He would watch it over and over again (much to his mother's delight) and imagine himself as her prince, living happily ever after.

Fast-forward approximately two decades, and his version of Cinderella had changed rather dramatically. Shoulder-length brown hair, brown eyes and not a glittery gown in sight, Sara Sidle was Greg's incarnation of Cinderella.

Not that he'll ever tell her, he valued his life a little too much than to admit he would like Sara to dress up in a ball gown with glass slippers.

When she had left Las Vegas, he instinctively checked his watch the moment he found out she was gone. It read 12.25am, much to his amusement and horror.

Six months later, she was standing right there, within his sight. He resisted the urge to call out at her and instead focused his attention on processing the sheets, blocking her from his mind.

He was supposed to be Prince Charming to her Cinderella, but reality was not like that Disney movie he used to believe. She chose their boss over him, and no amount of wishful thinking would ever change that.

"Greg?"

He looked up at the sound of her familiar voice, hoping against hope she was wearing a gown complete with glass slippers.

Taking in her casual jeans and brown boots, he smiled despite that little bubble of disappointment. Sara was no fairytale princess, but she was flawless in his eyes.

"Hey," he answered with a non-committal tone and stepped away from the sheets and closer towards her. She embraced him in a quick hug before letting him go, her huge smile lighting up the lab. That however, did not over-shine the sparkling ring on her finger.

She caught him staring, and she lifted her hand up for him to take a better look. The diamond was modestly sized but flawlessly cut, two carats at least and perched on a delicate sliver band.

"So that's where Grissom spends his money, huh?" he commented with a small smirk, without a trace of bitterness in his voice.

"I missed your humour so much, Greg." she said with a laugh and gently shut the lab's door. "There's something I, uh, need you to help me with."

"Choosing lingerie for your wedding night?" he asked playfully, his heart swelling at her statement despite her impending wedding.

She smacked his arm lightly before her eyes grew serious. "No, silly. The wedding is in six months, and I'm planning on taking up ballroom dancing lessons for the big day."

Greg looked on at her with disbelieving eyes, but nodded for her to continue.

"I want to surprise Gil, and I need a partner for the lessons. You are the first person I thought of, because that's what best friends are for, right?"

She stood there, cheeks tinged pink, and he knew only a wedding could make her think of such a horrendous idea. He had known immediately what his answer would be, but he was going to make her sweat a little. After a few agonizing seconds, Sara snapped at him, nervousness weaved in her voice.

"Well?"

He pondered for a second, before asking. "Will you wear a gown?"

She looked at him strangely; he could almost see her thoughts. "Greg, it's called ballroom dancing for a reason, you know? As much as I would hate wearing an absurd-looking dress, I will be in one."

That's when that insane grin crept its way onto his face. His happily-ever-after might not have worked out the way he had wanted it, but Disney missed out one important fact: you don't need to marry the princess to have a happy ending. Sometimes it's enough being her best friend.

"Fine, I'll be your partner. But with one condition: You need to wear the shiniest, poofiest gown there is. _And_ it has to be blue."


End file.
